Chapter 22

* * *

Jimin’s POV

Christmas break is finally over, and I’m not looking forward to school.

Because school means having to wake up at six in the morning without being curled up to a sleeping Jungkook, it means having to go back to keeping up the whole ‘bad boy’ image and overall, I do not want to go.

I groan as Jungkook shakes my shoulders gently, trying to pry me out of bed.

“Jimin, get up, it’s already half past six,” he says insistently, and I throw an arm over my face and let out a small noise of protest.

“Just five more minutes,” I drawl and attempt to pull Jungkook back next to me, because it feels cold and empty without him pressed at my side, but it’s to no avail. Jungkook’s a perfect student and getting to school on time is a priority for him. For me? Not so much.

“I’m going to take a shower, and when I’m done, you better have gotten out of bed,” he warns before I hear the sound of the bathroom door shutting and the lock click. He could’ve at least left it open for me. I sigh and sit up, rubbing the sleep out of my eyes. Unlike Jungkook, I don’t shower every morning, so I slip into my uniform with much difficulty and brush the knots out of my hair. I look in the mirror, and I look presentable. Oh, who am I kidding? I look hot. I smirk at my reflection, just as Jungkook emerges from the shower, (unfortunately) fully dressed and rolls his eyes.

“Cocky bastard,” he comments, and I throw a pillow at him. When we sit at the breakfast table, Jungkook’s nose deep in a science textbook and is relentlessly fending off my attempts to kiss him, much to that bratty little six-year-old’s amusement.

“I haven’t studied all break, Jimin, I’m going to be behind in my classes,” he says, blinding shoving a spoonful of oatmeal into his mouth with his eyes still glued to the textbook.

“You’re already like, two years ahead of your classes anyway. You’ll be fine,” I say. Jungkook doesn’t realise how lucky he is- because he’s naturally so talented, so academic- it all comes easy for him, and the fact that he works twice as hard as any normal student means that he’s borderline genius in his year. Though I’d never admit it, it really knocks on my confidence when I’m sitting at an exam, trying to process the information in the paper in front of me but for some reason nothing makes sense and I just feel so completely useless. I look at Jungkook, eyebrows knitted together, eyes moving across the pages like lightning, and promise myself that I’ll start working harder at school. Maybe it’s not too late. I smile. Jungkook might not realise it, but I have- he definitely brings out the best in me, and there’s no doubt I’ve changed for the better since we first met. Thank you, Jungkook.

* * *

School is kind of a drag, because Namjoon, Yoongi, Taehyung, Hoseok and Seokjin are all on study leave until March because of the exams coming up. Technically, I should be on study leave too, but thanks to my newfound drive to succeed academically I’m enrolling in another three weeks of optional classes at the school. So the thing is, because everyone in my year (save for a few die-hard study freaks) isn’t actually at school. This means that I’m constantly trailing after Jungkook like a lost puppy which takes a blow at my ego but at least I get to spend more time with him.

Jungkook’s very popular, in both my year and his own, however for some weird reason he still decides to hang out with those three goddamned idiots that make me want to jump out a window, they’re that annoying. What are their names? Sehun, Vernon and Jackson. I pout slightly, fiddling with the tofu-fried rice and kimchi on my plate. Right now, the four are engaged in a rather technical discussion involving biogenetics or something while I’m left on the side, trying to telepathically tell Jungkook to get me out. Apparently we haven’t reached that part of our relationship yet, or Jungkook is really enjoying this conversation.

“But you have to consider that less than two percent of the human DNA codes for proteins, so in that case you have the non-coded DNA, junk DNA, and see that’s what scientists are focusing on altering since the intergenetic makeup is a lot easier to study--” Jungkook pauses only to take a sip of water, before launching back into his counter-argument in this heated debate. Fine, I admit, when Jungkook goes all technical and scientific and he’s all riled up so that vein is prominent in his neck, it so turns me on. It would be fine by me to sit and listen to him explaining the intergenetic makeup of non-protein DNA because his voice, .

What ruins it is that damned Jackson kid interrupting my Jungkook and starting to share his thoughts. you, Jackson. Just when I was beginning to enjoy this. Then Jackson cracks what I think is meant to be a science joke, to which they all burst out laughing, and why Jungkook likes these people is beyond me. I glance at him sideways, unsubtly, which kind of turns into a lingering gaze. His jawline could cut through diamond, and that delicious golden skin, not to mention his intense gaze as he focuses on every word Vernon’s spewing out with interest. I can’t help but slide my hand over to his thigh under the table, rubbing my thumb in circles against the hard muscle, because he looks hot and I need to touch him. Jungkook flushes and his eyes snap over to mine. I smirk, as if saying, well that’s what you get for putting me through this torture.

“Jungkook, are you okay?” Sehun asks through a mouthful of rice. Jungkook nods quickly, gaze dropping to the table.

“Yeah, it’s just kinda hot in here,” he says, laughing nervously. Jackson quirks up an eyebrow, ‘it’s in the middle of January, Kook,’ but Jungkook rambles on about the heating and that seems to be a plausible explanation because they go back to talking about cells. So I try to have a bit of fun, whatever my twisted view of fun is, anyway.

“If you’re hot, you should take off that scarf,” I remark, and Jungkook’s eyes widen. He bites his lip and tugs the scarf around his neck tighter.

“Y-yeah, but I’m cold,” he says defensively. Vernon snorts.

“I thought you said they turned the heating up too much? God, Jungkook, I think you’re burning up, you’ve gone bright red,” he leans over the table and starts to unwind Jungkook’s scarf. “Here, let me just--”

The scarf falls to the floor with a light thud, and Jungkook squeaks before hastily trying to cover the skin on his neck with his hands. But not before the others notice the purpling blooms of hickeys dotted from the underside of his jaw right down to his collarbone. Hm, not bad, Jimin, I think to myself, admiring my work. There’s an uproar as Jackson slams down his cup and nearly sprays the whole table with the contents of his mouth.

“, Jungkook, who gave you those?” he bellows, and people stare. Jungkook scowls and ducks his head even lower.

“Yeah, Jungkookie, tell us,” I prod, to be met with his fiery gaze. He’s dying inside, I can tell, and almost melts into his seat.

Sehun peers at the marks closer, pushing his glasses further up his nose.

“Wow, that’s a lot of hickeys,” he comments, an evil glint in his eye, and perhaps these nerds aren’t as clueless and annoying as I’d first pitched them out to be. “, man. There’s like fifteen on your neck, and some of them look new, and some of them look like they’re from days ago.”

God bless Sehun and his knowledge of biology and scabbing.

“That can’t all have been Ji-eun,” Vernon says, and I scowl at the mention of her name. I kind of forgot the two were still in a relationship. Were they?

“I ended it with Ji-eun last week,” Jungkook says, and the three boys sigh sympathetically and pat him on the back. “She’s okay with it though. She wants to stay friends.”

“That’s good, Kook,” Vernon smiles. “You’re too hot for her anyway.”

“Gay,” Sehun snorts, and Vernon kicks his shin under the table.

“I mean it makes sense. There’s no way one person could do all that,” Jackson grins, reaching out to flick one of the bruises, and Jungkook winces. He’s so damn cute, sometimes. Make that always. “Here, let me count. Seventeen! Jungkook’s either gotten laid like four times or the creator of those is some kind of se